Assam's Chikibiki Residents Demand Permanent Bridge Over Champabati River After 50 Years

Residents of 15 villages in the Chikibiki area of Bongaigaon district have raised concerns over a 50-year-old demand for a permanent bridge over the Champabati river, citing it as a key issue ahead of the Assam Assembly elections . “Due to hollow promises by politicians, we have been deprived of a permanent bridge between Bidyapur and Chikibiki over the Champabati river for the past 50 years,” villagers on either side of the river told the media. Over 1,200 students and a large number of farmers from 15 villages in the Chikibiki area cross the river by boat during floods, paying a fare, or use a temporary bamboo footbridge in winter, paying a toll, to reach Bidyapur, villagers said. They have to cover only 3 km if they cross the river directly, or take a 25 km detour via Basugaon (Chirang) to reach Bidyapur, where educational institutions, health facilities, markets, and government offices are located, said local resident Monowar Hussain. Villages in the Chikibiki area produce rice, maize, and vegetables. Farmers incur higher transportation costs to bring their produce to Bidyapur or Bongaigaon markets via Basugaon. Hussain noted that a permanent bridge over the river could reduce transportation costs for farmers and help students reach their schools safely during floods, adding that many students were rescued five years ago when a boat carrying them capsized in the flooded river . Former legislator and sitting MP Phani Bhusan Choudhury and his wife Diptimoyee Choudhury, an incumbent legislator and current NDA candidate for the Bongaigaon seat, had previously promised to build the bridge. Hussain stated that over 1 lakh electors in the Chikibiki area have decided not to support Diptimoyee Choudhury and her AGP party in the upcoming polls. These villages on either side of the river fall under the Bongaigaon assembly seat in Bongaigaon district.